In a divided vote, the Oregon school board decided not to renew contracts for two teachers at its April 19 meeting.

The board voted 3-2 not to renew the contracts for Amy Hineline, a fifth grade teacher at Eisenhower Intermediate School and Ana Hernandez, a Spanish 1 teacher at Fassett Junior High School.

Terri Hook, president of the Oregon City Federation of Teachers, spoke on behalf of Hineline and Hernandez at the meeting. Hook said she had “great concern” that the teachers were highly rated by trained evaluators, which she believed should carry more weight.

Al Thompson left Northwest Ohio on August 17 on a bicycle ride around the perimeter of the United States in an effort to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity and Save the Children.

Here is an excerpt from his blog, which you can follow by going to presspublications.com and clicking the icon in the upper right corner.

Hello Folks:Some have stood for over 2,000 years. They were here before the Birth of Christ . . . probably just young and robust saplings then, but well on their way in their 2,000 year journey upward to become the tallest living organisms on the planet. At 350 feet tall, they have no equal in the plant or animal kingdom. The Redwoods of Northern California are a sight to behold and cherish.

Oregon is seeking input on designs to improve landscaping in the front of the municipal complex on Seaman Street.

“We had talked about improving the landscaping as you walk into this building out front – the trees, bushes and shrubs,” Mayor Mike Seferian said to council at a meeting on Monday. “It’s hard to keep weeds out of the grounds we have now. I’m willing to listen to further input. We did get a price [quote] and drawing from Woodville Nursery [for landscaping] that is easy to maintain.”

The cost of the project, he added, was about $20,000. Woodville Nursery did not charge for its proposed design.

1364319007[{"id":"208","title":"Yes","votes":"1","pct":16.67,"type":"x","order":"1","resources":[]},{"id":"209","title":"No","votes":"4","pct":66.67,"type":"x","order":"2","resources":[]},{"id":"210","title":"I'm against them, but I think they should remain","votes":"1","pct":16.67,"type":"x","order":"3","resources":[]},{"id":"211","title":"It's a state issue, not a national","votes":"0","pct":0,"type":"x","order":"4","resources":[]}]["#194e84","#3b6b9c","#1f242a","#37414a","#60bb22","#f2babb"]sbar160160/component/communitypolls/vote/79-confederateNo answer selected. Please try again.Thank you for your vote.AnswersVotes